Chapter 1 Warrior Queens of the Hellenistic World
In: The Public Lives of Ancient Women (500 BCE-650 CE)Search for other papers by Rolf Strootman in
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Abstract
In the Hellenistic period, royal women played key roles in dynastic representation and ruled with a frequency that is unique in ancient history. What is more, royal women also often had leading roles in warfare, the most male-dominated public domain according to the normative texts of antiquity. This chapter examines why and how royal women were able to cross this ultimate boundary between male and female spheres. It is argued that royal women could become military leaders because of their pivotal roles as the representatives of monarchies that were essentially military organisations. It is furthermore argued that the modern distinction between ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ power is not useful in assessing women’s influence in ancient monarchies.